Traders seek decongestion of Port Harcourt port

Lagos-port
PHOTO: SHIPS & PORTS archive

The South East Amalgamated Traders Association (SEAMATA) is seeking the immediate decongestion of the Port Harcourt Port in Rivers State by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

They appealed to the Comptroller General of Customs, and lamented that the unbearable situation has drastically affected the Ease-of-Doing-Business in the region.

President General of SEAMATA. Chief Gozie Akudolu, made the appeal in his acceptance speech in Enugu, yesterday, after the inauguration of new executives for the umbrella body.

“I want to seize this opportunity to call on the Comptroller General of Customs to as a matter of urgency, begin a holistic decongestion of the Port Harcourt ports to alleviate the suffering of traders in the South East. Cargoes that initially arrived, cleared and taken delivery of within 30 days, presently take as much as 65 days and is adversely affecting the ease of business in the South East,” Akudolu said.

He congratulated the South east governors on their recent victories at the polls and reiterated their determination to collaborate with them to boost the economic base of the zone.